The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has 233 aquariums, zoos, and science centers, each one working to protect thousands of animals by advancing their welfare, as well as conservation of wildlife, and public engagement. As AZA’s president and CEO, Dan Ashe is in charge of promoting that mission.

Ashe has been at the helm of the AZA since 2017 and previously was the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Obama administration.

Fortune’s Beth Kowitt stepped out of the office and into the Bronx Zoo with Ashe to talk about the AZA’s mission, scary animal encounters, and former president Barack Obama’s spirit animal. Let’s just say they had more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

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